Plug-in solar in Stuttgart: basin, hillsides and yield in 2026
In Stuttgart, 900 Wp hung upright on a south balcony produce about 709 kWh a year and save a family of three €167.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Saving per year
€159
709 kWh of solar power, 62 % of it used at home
| Generation per year | 709 kWh |
|---|---|
| of which used at home | 439 kWh · 62 % |
| into the grid, unpaid | 270 kWh |
| clipped by the inverter (800 VA) | 2 kWh |
| Saving on the electricity bill | €159 |
| Payback | 2.8 years |
| Saving over 20 years | €3,176 |
Step-by-step calculation
- Postcode 70173 (area of Stuttgart): 1,127 kWh per kWp at 35° south according to PVGIS for the centre of the postcode.
- Tilt 90° and the chosen direction: 790 kWh per kWp. Times 0.90 kWp: 711 kWh before the inverter.
- Quarter-hour by quarter-hour against 74 metered households using 2,500 kWh a year: the household uses 62 % of the output itself.
- 439 kWh × 36.2 ct = €159 a year; €450 purchase price ÷ saving = payback.
Estimate based on average weather 2005 to 2023 (PVGIS) and metered household loads. A single year can differ by a few per cent. How we calculate
Stuttgart is number 2 among Germany's big cities for annual yield: PVGIS gives 1,127 kWh per kilowatt peak at 35 degrees south for postcode 70173, just behind Munich. The spread over the year is different, though. In July an upright 900 Wp device (Balkonkraftwerk) produces 87 kWh in Stuttgart, about as much as in Munich; in December it is 15.8 kWh against 29.9 kWh. November to February contribute only 14.7 % of the year, rank 11 of 15. Over twelve months the device on a south balcony produces 709 kWh, tilted at 35 degrees 1,009 kWh. A family using 2,800 kWh saves €167 a year at 36.2 cents per kWh. With 10.8 plug-in devices per 1,000 residents, 6,604 in total in the Market Master Data Register, Stuttgart ranks 6 among the big cities but stays below the national 18.3.
Almost as sunny as Munich, except in December
An annual 1,127 kWh per kWp puts Stuttgart at rank 2. Look closer at the PVGIS monthly values and you find two halves. From March to September the city keeps pace with the sunniest places in the comparison; in July 900 Wp upright deliver 87 kWh (Munich 84 kWh). In winter it falls behind.
| Stuttgart | Munich | |
|---|---|---|
| Yield per kWp, 35° south | 1,127 kWh | 1,137 kWh |
| July, 900 Wp upright south | 87 kWh | 84 kWh |
| December, 900 Wp upright south | 15.8 kWh | 29.9 kWh |
| Share November to February | 14.7 % | 19.1 % |
| Altitude of PVGIS point | 383 m | 501 m |
The valley basin and its slopes
The city centre lies in a basin (Kessel) cut by the Nesenbach valley into the surrounding plateaus; residential areas climb the slopes up to the mid-hillside districts (Halbhöhenlage). Poor air exchange in the basin during temperature inversions has been a topic of Stuttgart's urban climatology for decades. Whether it explains the weak December in the PVGIS data cannot be read from the figures alone. For a balcony something else counts: on a slope, the terrain itself often casts shade. On a north-facing slope you lose the winter sun behind the ridge; on a south-facing slope you look freely across the city.
Mid-hillside, south balcony: which angle?
A family with one child, a flat on the hillside, 2,800 kWh a year, south balcony without shade, a device costing €450.
| Mounting | Yield | Used at home | Saving/year | Paid off after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| upright on the railing | 709 kWh | 461 kWh | €167 | 2.7 years |
| tilted 60° | 953 kWh | 550 kWh | €199 | 2.3 years |
| tilted 35° | 1,009 kWh | 577 kWh | €209 | 2.2 years |
| upright, 1.5 kWh battery | 710 kWh | 648 kWh | €235 | depends on battery price |
The flatter angle collects 42 % more power, but the family uses only part of it. A small battery raises self-consumption by 188 kWh, worth €68 a year; whether that pays for the battery is worked out by the battery calculator. A west balcony would give 499 kWh upright. In condominiums the owners decide how it is mounted under section 20 Condominium Act; tenants are entitled to permission under section 554 Civil Code.
Where Stuttgart leads and where it does not
Of the six largest cities after Berlin, Stuttgart has the most plug-in devices per resident, 10.8 per 1,000. The Market Master Data Register also shows that 17.5 % of building systems export all their power, rank 3 among the big cities, against 22.1 % nationally. 41 % of roofs face mainly south. What full feed-in brings compared with self-consumption is explained in the comparison of full and partial feed-in; for a balcony system the question does not arise, since it runs for your own use.